Boss insists Liverpool target will stay at Arsenal

Liverpool's hopes of luring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Anfield will prove unsuccessful, according to the player’s current manager Arsene Wenger.

The Arsenal boss spoke about the situation surrounding the 23-year-old midfielder after his side’s 3-1 win on tour in Sydney, a game the England man started.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has just a year left on his contract and has refused to sign a new one at the Emirates, with a deal of around £80,000 per week said to be on the table.

Liverpool are keen on Oxlade-Chamberlain and the extra options he would provide in midfield, and would be prepared to meet an asking price of around the £25m mark if Arsenal were prepared to do business now rather than risk losing the player for nothing at the end of the year.

Arsene Wenger though is adamant that Oxlade-Chamberlain is going nowhere.

Asked about the situation after Arsenal’s friendly win against Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia earlier today, Wenger said: “Yes. 100%, I expect him to stay. No matter the speculation, he will stay.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain - and his agent Aidy Ward - may of course have different opinions although the player’s desire to be part of the England team at the Russia World Cup in 2018 will no doubt also play a part in his calculations.

Dealing with a club who doesn’t want to sell has become the norm for Liverpool’s transfer window as they prepare to up their bid to try to land Naby Keita from RB Leipzig.
Wenger meanwhile also gave an update on another player the Reds have been interested in, Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe, who the Arsenal boss thinks will stay in France this year.

Denying he had made a £123m world record bid for the 18-year-old, Wenger said: "That's not true. People have big imaginations. What we know now with Mbappe is it’s over £100m, after that it’s free to everyone’s imagination.